barrier
[noun]
Synonyms:
- barricade, bar, blockade, boundary, fence, obstacle, obstruction, wall
- hindrance, difficulty, drawback, handicap, hurdle, obstacle, restriction, stumbling block

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English Thesaurus: wall, fence, railings, barrier, screen, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

bar‧ri‧er W3 /ˈbæriə $ -ər/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: barriere, from barre; ⇒ bar¹]

1. a rule, problem etc that prevents people from doing something, or limits what they can do:
He advocated the removal of trade barriers.
barrier to
Problems with childcare remain the biggest barrier to women succeeding at work.
barrier between
barriers between doctors and patients

2. a type of fence or gate that prevents people from moving in a particular direction:
Crowds burst through the barriers and ran onto the pitch.

3. a physical object that keeps two areas, people etc apart
barrier between
The mountains form a natural barrier between the two countries.

4. the 10-second/40% etc barrier a level or amount of 10 seconds, 40% etc that is seen as a limit which it is difficult to get beyond:
I’m hoping to crash the 20-second barrier in the final and get a bronze.
⇒ sound barrier, crash barrier

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

barrier
noun
I. fence/gate
ADJ. physical | crash, crush, flood, police, protective, security, ticket | sound (figurative) the first plane to break the sound barrier
VERB + BARRIER build, erect, install | break through The crowd managed to break through the barriers and get onto the pitch.
PREP. at a/the ~ Please show your ticket at the barrier.
behind a/the ~ The police waited behind the barriers.
through a/the ~ There was a slow trickle of people through the barriers.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

barrier
II. thing that causes problems
ADJ. effective, formidable, major | class, cultural, language, racial, trade
VERB + BARRIER build, create, erect, put up, set up The old laws created barriers to free trade.
break down, lift, lower, reduce, remove | cross They believe that sport can cross any barriers.
be faced with, encounter, face | overcome, transcend
PREP. ~ against The country has set up barriers against imports.
~ between a class barrier between the two families
~ to a formidable barrier to communication

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

barrier
III. physical object that prevents sb/sth passing
ADJ. impassable, impenetrable | natural
VERB + BARRIER form
PREP. ~ between The mountains form a natural barrier between the two countries.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

barrier

trade barriers (=things such as taxes that make trade between countries difficult)
The aim was to remove trade barriers and open up free markets.
the language barrier (=the problem of understanding people who do not speak the same language.)
Living in China was hard for me at first because of the language barrier.
cultural/racial/class barriers
Sport is a sure way to break down racial barriers.
social barriers
The Internet allows people of all ages to interact without the usual social barriers.
technical/legal/political barriers
Most of the technical barriers have been solved.
artificial barriers
They were committed to breaking down the artificial barriers to women’s achievement.
regulatory barriers
Regulatory barriers have been an obstacle to international co-operation between police forces.
bureaucratic barriers
This is one of many bureacratic barriers preventing the unemployed from claiming benefit.
institutional/organizational barriers
Institutional barriers limit what can be achieved.
break/tear down barriers
Most companies have broken down the old barriers of status among the workers.
cross/transcend barriers (=avoid barriers that usually exist)
Music has the great advantage of crossing cultural barriers.
remove/eliminate/lift barriers
Will this remove the barriers to change?
overcome barriers
There are still many more barriers that need to be overcome.
reduce/lower barriers
We should be reducing barriers to imports from poor countries.
erect/build/put up barriers
Some kids have erected emotional barriers that stop them from learning.
create barriers
Uniforms are one of the things that create barriers.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

wall an upright flat structure made of stone or brick, that divides one area from another or surrounds an area:
The estate is surrounded by high stone walls.
a brick wall
fence a structure made of wood, metal etc that surrounds a piece of land:
The garden was surrounded by an old wooden fence.
the chain link fence around the school
railings a metal fence that is made of a series of upright bars:
the iron railings in front of the house
The boy was leaning over the railing on the side of the boat.
barrier a type of fence or gate that prevents people from moving in a particular direction:
A guard stood near the barrier.
The police had put up barriers to keep the crowd under control.
screen a piece of furniture like a thin wall that can be moved around and is used to divide one part of a room from another:
the screen around his hospital bed
a Japanese bamboo screen
a fire screen (=that you put near a fire)
partition a thin wall that separates one part of a room from another:
The room was divided into two by a thin partition.
The offices are separated by partitions and you can hear everything that is said in the next office.
barricade a line of objects that people have put across a road, to prevent people getting past, especially as part of a protest:
The soldiers used tanks to smash through the barricades.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲